A New Life (1)
The next day.
I woke staring up at a ceiling that still felt a little strange. It wasn’t familiar yet, but this was the ceiling of my own room in my own house now.
“Ugh.”
I raked a hand through my messy hair and pushed myself up. We still hadn’t bought a bed, so I’d slept on a blanket spread across the floor.
“Water…”
My throat was dry. I got up, opened the door, and stepped out—only to freeze in surprise.
“…Morning.”
Clara was already in the living room, still half-asleep. It shouldn’t have been surprising at all, yet living under the same roof with her still hadn’t quite sunk in.
“Uh… sleep well? Nothing too uncomfortable?”
“…Yeah.”
Clara nodded and added quietly,
“…It was comfortable.”
That was a relief.
“…You’re getting ready to go to the martial arts academy, right?”
“Yeah. Has Caesius woken up yet?”
“…No. She’s still asleep.”
Dragons sure slept more than people.
“My class ends at noon. I’ll come straight home after, so let’s grab lunch and head to the guild together.”
“…Okay.”
Clara nodded again, smiling with pure, simple sincerity.
“…I’ll wait for you.”
“…….”
Coming from someone so innocent, that smile and those words still managed to send my thoughts in all sorts of weird directions. It almost felt like we were already a married couple or something…
…Get a grip, you idiot.
I clearly wasn’t fully awake yet.
“…Albrecht?”
“Ah, it’s nothing. Let’s wake Caesius first and get some food in us.”
Luckily we still had all the dishes and utensils from the party, so the kitchen was already stocked. I headed that way naturally as I spoke.
“You’re not starving, right? Let’s keep it simple.”
“…Yeah. Anything’s fine.”
“Go wake Caesius for me.”
“…Got it.”
Clara trotted off toward the bedroom with quick little steps. Once she was gone I felt a bit more at ease. Sharing an inn room was one thing; living in the same house was something else entirely.
…The more I thought about it, the more it got under my skin. Better to stop thinking altogether and just wait until my body got used to it.
Just get breakfast ready already.
Clara soon roused Caesius, and by roughly the same time I’d finished putting together a simple breakfast.
On the wooden table we’d hastily bought yesterday sat a single slice of bread, sausage, a fried egg, and a quick salad—all purchased on the way home the night before. That was the entire meal.
It was the kind of spread that made me crave rice, but we didn’t have any on hand. I wondered if Parvata even sold rice.
“Finally up, huh. For a dragon you sure sleep a lot.”
“Mmm… you two simply rise far too early…”
Caesius yawned hugely, then eyed the food I’d set out.
“Albrecht.”
“What.”
“There is far too little.”
…Right. She ate like a bottomless pit in one sitting.
“Just make do with this for now. We’ll buy more ingredients this afternoon on the way back, so you can stuff yourself at dinner.”
“May I look forward to it?”
“Looking forward to what, exactly…”
At any rate, Caesius seemed satisfied enough and sat down without further complaint. Clara took her seat as well, smiling.
“…It looks delicious.”
“Yeah? Good to hear.”
I said,
“Let’s eat.”
“Okay.”
While we ate I filled Caesius in on the plan I’d already discussed with Clara.
“I’m heading to the academy alone, so you two wait here and get ready when the time comes.”
“Then why wake me so early?”
“…You can tidy the house a bit while you’re up.”
Everyone else was already starting their day; it felt unfair to leave her sleeping alone.
“Understood.”
Caesius answered,
“I shall do it together with Clara.”
“Good.”
She accepted it surprisingly easily.
Dragons were supposed to be arrogant, and her usual manner of speaking certainly leaned that way… yet moments like this made me think she wasn’t quite as proud as the stories claimed. She didn’t even refuse when I casually assigned her chores like dishwashing.
“Still, will you be all right?”
“Hm? About what?”
“This place is still unfamiliar to you. I am asking whether you will be fine going alone.”
“Ah—of course I will.”
I wasn’t a child. I was a grown man with a solid build. I always complained about my pathetic stats, but even those were high compared to an ordinary person. Nothing too dangerous should happen.
“Don’t worry, just wait. If anything goes wrong I’ll call you, and you can come running.”
“Mm.”
Caesius and I were bound by a magical contract; even at a distance we could send signals freely. She knew that and simply nodded.
After breakfast I washed up and threw on some casual outdoor clothes—the same outfit I usually wore into dungeons, comfortable enough for the academy.
Washing had taken longer than expected, so there wasn’t much spare time left if I wanted to arrive on schedule.
“I’m short on time, so I can’t do the dishes. I’m counting on you.”
“…Okay.”
Clara nodded and followed me all the way to the entrance, as if she meant to see me off.
Watching me leave with that faintly pleased look on her face left me feeling both embarrassed and oddly happy. Clara probably didn’t mean anything by it… but the whole scene was the kind of thing any man would envy, so of course I felt that way.
“…Albrecht.”
“Hm?”
Clara suddenly reached out. I flinched without thinking, but she simply caught hold of my collar as if it were nothing.
“…It’s wrinkled.”
“…….”
Her face was suddenly so close it startled me. She smelled nice, too… I’d just washed, so why was the pleasant scent coming from her?
I stood stiffly until she finished straightening my collar.
“…There. All done.”
She released me with her soft, quiet voice and gave a shy little smile.
“…Have a good day, Albrecht.”
I gave a quick nod to Clara’s farewell and turned away.
“…Yeah.”
…Deciding to live together really might have been a problem.
I dreamed.
“Eh… eh…”
You left me, and somewhere I couldn’t see—
“Erinn… save…”
—you were dying a miserable death.
“Save… me……”.
I knew perfectly well it was a dream. You… no, the one who wore your body had already left me, and with Clara gone alongside him, something like this was almost impossible.
I couldn’t understand why I was having this dream now.
Even so—
“…….”
Seeing you die so wretchedly, I simply couldn’t look away. Knowing it was only a dream, I still reached out, trying to save you.
Just as you had always done for me when we were children.
Of course, the moment I saved you everything vanished like dust. Because it was a dream. Because the dying you had never been real to begin with.
Yet this trivial dream still set my nerves on edge. Dreams, after all, were expressions of the heart. It was fair to say this one had simply given shape to my anxiety.
After everything dissolved into dust and I was left alone, I stared blankly into the empty space.
Only one thought filled that scene.
Had my single momentary choice erased even your soul?
If I hadn’t stabbed you then, could you have lived?
If I were ever given another life to live, what would happen then?
Would… even you disappear that time as well?
“……Erinn.”
Then a voice called from somewhere that was not the dream.
“……Erinn!”
The voice grew urgent, and I opened my eyes.
“Erinn.”
Erinn closed her eyes briefly, then opened them again and looked ahead.
“…Are you all right?”
Freya was watching her with deep concern. Not only Freya—Letisia and Ser-Aria wore similar expressions as they sat nearby.
Erinn couldn’t quite grasp the situation and asked with open puzzlement,
“What’s with everyone? I just said I wanted to rest my eyes for a bit.”
They were on the road back to the Dern Empire. With two fewer members than when they had left, the carriage was a little smaller, yet the extra funds had allowed them a nicer one for the return trip.
They would reach the empire soon, so Erinn had suggested a short nap beforehand. That was how she had fallen asleep and dreamed.
“Erinn, you looked like you were in so much pain.”
“…I did?”
“Yes.”
“It seemed like you were having a nightmare. You were groaning the way you used to when you were… hurting.”
Erinn felt a flicker of fluster. She had felt many things in the dream, but she hadn’t thought of it as suffering.
Worried her expression might still look bad, she carefully controlled her face as she spoke.
“…It was nothing.”
“…Erinn.”
Freya spoke carefully to her.
“It wasn’t your fault.”
“…….”
“There was no other choice. Back then he would have… he would have died if you hadn’t done it.”
Freya insisted that none of what had happened was Erinn’s fault, hoping she wouldn’t torment herself over it.
“And no one could have predicted the variables that appeared afterward. Of course it became something we owe Albrecht an apology for, but it was an accident no one could have prevented…”
“Freya.”
Erinn said,
“I’m fine.”
“…….”
Freya wanted to say more, yet she closed her mouth. Watching Erinn steel herself like that, she felt that no words of comfort would reach her right now.
Erinn looked out the carriage window. Familiar scenery began to appear beyond the road. Her homeland—the Dern Empire—came into view.
“We’ll go straight to the capital, report the party changes, and finish every report about the Estire Kingdom.”
“…That will take some time.”
“Yeah. I’ll handle the reports myself, so the rest of you find an inn and rest in the meantime.”
The imperial palace would normally provide lodging, but Erinn’s party always preferred to stay elsewhere. Staying at the palace only invited more of the Minister of Military Affairs’ bothersome meddling.
“Um, Erinn.”
“What?”
“This time, maybe we should go with you…”
Even when they had business at the palace, Erinn’s group usually brushed off the minister’s words and actions without engaging. But Erinn was carrying many emotional wounds right now; she was unstable. If the minister’s behavior provoked her in that state…
That was Freya’s worry, yet Erinn simply said she would be fine.
“Afraid I’ll take her head off or something?”
“N-no, that’s not it…”
“Don’t worry.”
Erinn looked once more at the soil of her homeland with quiet, sunken eyes.
“I don’t have the energy to care what that woman says.”
Freya fell silent. Letisia spoke up for her.
“Let’s drop this topic. Erinn says she’s fine, so we should follow our leader’s decision.”
“…All right.”
“More importantly, Erinn—they’re definitely going to ask why party members left. How will you answer?”
“I’ll say we split over a simple difference of opinion.”
Hearing that, Letisia asked,
“Wouldn’t that woman try to fill the empty seats with her own people? To keep a tighter leash on us… I can easily see her doing something like that.”
“Over my dead body.”
“If she uses the duke’s influence to persuade His Majesty, it wouldn’t be impossible.”
Erinn looked at Letisia and asked,
“Then how should I put it?”
“…Say the two of them are simply away for a while.”
“What?”
Erinn asked what that was supposed to mean, and Freya beside her also looked slightly startled by the suggestion.
“If we say that, it would sound like…”
“They don’t actually have to come back.”
Letisia continued,
“Before that, our party just needs to grow large enough that the Minister of Military Affairs can’t touch us.”
“…….”
“And while I’m not particularly holding out hope…”
Letisia lowered her eyes a little as she spoke.
“…leaving the seats open wouldn’t hurt, either.”
Neither Freya, Ser-Aria, nor Erinn raised any objection to her words.
Erinn looked at Letisia for a moment, then slowly nodded.
“Yeah… that would be better. Once our influence grows the way Letisia says, that woman’s schemes won’t matter anymore.”
Letisia gave a small nod of thanks that Erinn had accepted her idea.
“Then that’s what we’ll do…”
Erinn said,
“Even after the reports are finished, if nothing urgent comes up we might get some time off. If that happens, everyone should rest a little.”
They had resolved one major incident after another in succession; there might not be any work that required the hero’s party to move right away. At that, Ser-Aria spoke up.
“Then Erinn, if you have a moment, would it be all right if I stepped away for a bit?”
“…Hm?”
“Aria, where are you going?”
To Freya’s question Ser-Aria answered,
“Don’t worry. I’m not leaving the party—I just need to make a short trip to the elven forest.”
“All of a sudden?”
“I have to report the change in the party’s strength to my father as well.”
“Ah.”
Freya made a sound of belated understanding, and Erinn nodded as if she got it.
“All right. Go ahead.”
“Thanks.”
Granted permission for independent action, Ser-Aria dipped her head slightly and sank into thought. On the road back to the elven forest… along that path…
…I should meet with someone separately.